Words, Words, Words
The annual Shakespeare By The Sea Festival Sonnet Contest
On this
Twelfth Night (January 6, 2010), we hereby declare
Words, Words 
Words - the first annual Shakespeare By The Sea Festival Sonnet Contest - open!
Members
of the general public, as well as students in grades 3 through 12 in
the Eastern School District of Newfoundland and Labrador, are invited to submit original sonnets on any subject and in any voice.
Entries must follow the
Shakespearean sonnet form:
- 14 lines of iambic pentameter
- an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme
A good overview of the elements of a Shakespearean sonnet can be found on the
Poetry Doctor website.
Our panel of judges from will select the
winning sonnet plus
two runners-up in each of four categories:
- Grades 4-6
- Grades 7-9
- Grades 10-12
- Adult
This year our judges are:
- Angela Antle, Host of Weekend AM for CBC Radio
- George Murray, Poet and Executive Director of the Association of Cultural Industries (ACI)
- Michael Pickard, Poet and Shakespeare By The Sea Festival Board Member
- Ken Simmons, Entertainment Editor for The Telegram
- Gemma Schlamp-Hickey, Poet and Chair of the Writer's Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador (WANL)
Winners will be announced on Shakespeare’s Birthday (April 23, 2010).
Winners
and runners-up in each category will receive a set of four passes to
the 2010 Shakespeare By The Sea Festival (approximate value $120).
The winners will also each receive a
$100 cash prize and will be invited to read their poems aloud for broadcast on
CBC Radio’s Weekend AM show on April 24th, 2010.
Winning entries will also be published in the April 24th edition of
The Telegram newspaper as well as in the 18th annual Shakespeare By The Sea Festival program.
The deadline for submissions is the Ides of March (March 15, 2010). Entries must include
name and contact information (phone and email) with all sonnet submissions. Student submissions must also include age, school, and grade level.
Entries will only be accepted by email (no later than 11:59pm on March 15, 2010) to
sbts@nfld.com